Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 review

We test out the Mac version of Kaspersky antivirus

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For

Detects malware for all OSes

Detects other online threats

Low performance hit

Against

Mac malware is a low threat

The obvious question when looking at malware protection software for Mac is whether it's actually required at all. At present, there are no known viruses for the Mac. However, Trojans (which require users to download and run them) do exist for the Mac, even though they're not widely spread.

So it may be sensible to get protected. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011 is the latest iteration of the well-regarded product, and protects against all current threats for both Mac and Windows, ensuring both that your machine isn't infected and that you don't unwittingly pass on malware to Windows-using friends.

We tested it using downloaded examples of both Mac and Windows threats, and Kaspersky quickly and reliably detected them. It also warned us of suspicious websites, a feature that works with Safari, Chrome and Firefox. The software even detected a piece of malware sent via email.

We found that Kaspersky used very little processor time or memory – normally less than 1% of the CPU's power, according to Activity Monitor, and only 3% while it performed a full scan of the hard drive.

Overall, Kaspersky does the job of protecting your Mac against threats, and stops you passing on malware to Windows users. If you think you need malware protection, it's a great choice.